14 organisations demand revision of disability budget allocation

A coalition of 14 organisations working for the rights of persons with disabilities, led by Access Bangladesh Foundation, has expressed concern over the proposed Tk 9.38 trillion national budget for the fiscal year 2026-27, saying the allocation for persons with disabilities remains highly inadequate, according to a press release.

In a joint reaction meeting held on Sunday, the coalition said although allowances and educational stipends for persons with disabilities have been marginally raised in the new budget, the increase is entirely insufficient against the backdrop of soaring commodity prices and high inflation.

The keynote statements during the meeting were delivered by Albert Mollah, executive director of Access Bangladesh Foundation, and Ashrafun Nahar Misti, executive director of the Women with Disabilities Development Foundation.

The joint statement was issued by 14 organisations: Access Bangladesh Foundation, Women with Disabilities Development Foundation, B-SCAN, Disabled Child Foundation, Disabled Welfare Society, Society of the Deaf and Sign Language Users, Blind Education and Rehabilitation Development Organization, Bangladesh Pratibandhi Unnayan Trust, Satarkul Pratibandhi Unnayan Sangstha, National Council of Disabled Women, Center for Services and Information on Disability, Visually Impaired People's Society, Disabled Different Program, and the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund.

The speakers appreciated the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister for several progressive steps taken in the FY 2026-27 budget, including increasing the monthly disability allowance from Tk 900 to Tk 1,000, expanding the number of allowance beneficiaries from 3.45 million to 3.8 million, increasing both the monetary size and beneficiary coverage of the education stipend for students with disabilities, and reducing the advance income tax from 2.0 per cent to 1.0 per cent on the import of 15 essential assistive devices.

However, the coalition expressed concern over the macro-allocations, saying the total budget for the disability sector stands at Tk 49.7256 billion, which constitutes only 3.45 per cent of the overall social security sector budget and 0.53 per cent of the entire national budget.

To address the disparities, the organisations placed several demands for a comprehensive budget revision.

They demanded budget allocation in line with the election manifesto, including the introduction of a National Civic Service to promote employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, establishment of a special fund for their development, and provision of medical treatment, sustainable employment and rehabilitation support for individuals who acquired disabilities during the July Movement.

The coalition also demanded fixing the minimum monthly allowance at Tk 5,000 for persons with severe disabilities and Tk 2,000 for persons with moderate disabilities to protect them from inflationary pressure.

It called for launching a dedicated monthly caregiver allowance of Tk 3,000 for full-time caregivers of individuals with profound or highly severe disabilities.

The organisations demanded bringing all students with disabilities across the country under the education stipend net, ensuring that they receive both educational stipend and monthly disability allowance without any exclusionary barrier.

They also called for ministry-wise specific budgetary allocations beyond the Ministry of Social Welfare, including allocations under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.

The other demands include dedicated allocation for skill training and employment, budget for government initiatives to produce artificial limbs and assistive devices, prioritisation of farmers and women with disabilities in social protection schemes such as Digital Health Cards, Farmer Cards and Family Cards, financial support for grassroots organisations of persons with disabilities, and allocation for implementation of disability-related laws, policies and action plans.

The coalition criticised the budget formulation process, saying no pre-budget consultations or discussions were held with persons with disabilities or their organisational representatives.

It urged the government to shift from a “charity or welfare-based” approach to an inclusive, “rights-based” approach and called for reconsidering and revising the proposed budget during the ongoing parliament session.